I started modifying Vampire some time before Requiem appeared, but with the advent of Requiem, the process shifted gears.

The first thing that consumed my attention in this project was how to compose clans/bloodlines, including weaknesses, strengths and foundations.  I didn't like the four discipline + extra weakness composition of Requiem Bloodlines nor the five relatively flavorless Clans, and generally the Masquerade set of Clans was set as my standards for the clans to include, though the general standard for basic vampire metaphysics as well as the general Requiem rule set was also to be standard.  One big problem with Masque clans though is that they have highly variable weaknesses.  Also, in some versions of MET, clans have special bonuses they get, which were generally drawn from Background and Character creation sections of the TT clans as essentials that members of the clan should have.


I started writing about some of my early essays into alternate configurations but I wasn't "feeling it".  So I'll just jump right into my current line of development, which I refer to as "Alien Vampire".  In this particular conception, vampires are more biologically reconstructed humans with some psychic powers, rather than really being "magical".  This doesn't affect a whole lot of my decisions about the game system, mostly just my take on Thaumaturgy and Protean. Aside from this, I'm generally geared towards using Masquerade world features and Requiem rules. Without further ado, here are some of the basics of it.

I decided to go back to first edition Masquerade in a sense, and reduce Disciplines to the ten basics.  Originally these were Animalism, Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, Fortitude, Obfuscate, Presence, Potence, Protean and Thaumaturgy.  In Requiem, they became Animalism, Auspex, Celerity, Dominate, Majesty, Nightmare, Obfuscate, Protean, Resilience and Vigor, with magical things allocated to covenant specific sorceries.  While I'm ok with ditching all the Requiem Bloodline Disciplines as Disciplines (rather than as Devotions and such, where necessary), I want to make allowance for some of the special Disciplines of major clans in Masquerade.  Here's how:

Animalism deals with the Beast and Nightmare deals with fear, generally spawned from the beast, so I folded these together into Bêtiare, which is characterized as dealing with the beast.  Fundamental powers are kept as part of the Discipline, while others are kept as common Devotions.

All transformy powers are combined under the rubric of Protean, which is somewhat more flexible and expandable than the Requiem version of it.  Serpentis is easily a snake oriented use of Protean, and most of vicissitude is reflected in this version with the exception of the two powers used to affect others, which could be simulated by Devotions.

The three physicals will be some combination of old and new, but hold the same places.

Auspex stays more or less the same, as it always does.  Necromancy is divided into various Devotions, several of which stem from Auspex.

Dominate and Majesty get a little restructuring.

Obfuscate and Chimerstry are mostly subsumed by Devotions, though some of Obfuscate is merged with Obtenebration.  Obfuscates original characterization had a lot to do with shadows, and it seems redundant to have two "shadow" Disciplines.  These are now called Tenebrus.

Thaumaturgy becomes a basic psychokinetic discipline that is the basis for all ritual practices.  This is a big honkin' thing of its own.

Also generally, Elder powers, where still relevant, are reconfigured as Devotions.

Next time, discussion of clans, bloodlines and political units.